easyMultiple Choice
CISA Practice Question: In a RACI matrix for an IT change management…
In a RACI matrix for an IT change management process, who is responsible for performing the change?
⚠ Common exam trap
CISA often tests whether candidates confuse 'Responsible' (does the work) with 'Accountable' (owns the outcome), leading them to select a manager or owner instead of the hands-on administrator.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
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The system administrator
In a RACI matrix, the 'Responsible' party is the one who actually performs the work — for an IT change, that is typically the system administrator who implements the change. The business process owner is usually Accountable or Consulted, the IT director may be Accountable or Informed, and the change manager coordinates the process but does not perform the technical change.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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The business process owner
Why it's wrong here
The business process owner is accountable for the process affected by the change and typically approves or sponsors it, not performs the technical work. Responsibility for executing the change rests with the implementer. Assigning R here would place approval and execution with the same party.
- ✓
The system administrator
Why this is correct
In a RACI matrix, the Responsible party performs the actual work of implementing the change. A system administrator executes the technical change tasks, distinguishing this from the Accountable owner who authorises it and the Consulted or Informed stakeholders.
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The IT director
Why it's wrong here
The IT director holds accountability or approval authority for change outcomes, not hands-on execution. The R belongs to the technical implementer performing the change. Naming the director as responsible would concentrate authorisation and execution in one role, defeating the segregation of duties change management depends on.
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The change manager
Why it's wrong here
The change manager coordinates, schedules and authorises changes; the R in RACI sits with the practitioner who actually implements the change, typically the technical implementer or change owner. Assigning R to the change manager would breach the segregation of duties that approval requires.
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official ISACA exam blueprint
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